12 Brand Archetypes for Your Newsletter
A simple framework from Jung quietly shapes unforgettable voices—here's how to find yours without overthinking.
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Back when I was living in Berlin, one of my best friends ran his own design studio.
Most days they designed boring dashboards for mid-tier startups. But what he really loved and the whole reason he started the agency was to create brand identities for other companies.
He’d talk about it with this contagious energy. One day I finally asked him to show me the workshop process they ran with every new client.
So one Saturday morning, while our girlfriends were off having posh coffee somewhere in the city, we locked ourselves in his office. He was going to run me through a full brand sprint—the kind companies paid thousands for—except I didn’t have to pay anything.
He pulled out this rolled-up poster from a cardboard tube and pinned it to the board on the wall.
I could read the letters at the top that said: The 12 Brand Archetypes.
I had no idea what I was looking at. Two hours later, everything I thought I knew about building a recognizable brand had changed.
Here’s what I learned—and how can help your newsletter attract the right audience.
Why Brand Archetypes Matter for Newsletters
Like we explored in the past article people don’t subscribe to content. They subscribe to personalities.
Substack is a warzone of thousands of newsletters. Eachone fighting for attention. The ones that win aren’t necessarily the ones with the best information but the ones that feel like a real person talking to you.
That’s what a brand archetype does. It gives your newsletter a consistent personality that readers recognize instantly. Open rates go up. Replies increase. People forward your stuff to friends. And when you launch a paid product, conversions are higher because readers already feel connected to you, not just your content. (This is important)
The numbers back this up. Research shows that brands with strong, consistent archetypes are valued up to 97% higher than those without. The same principle applies to newsletter brands, only that you building it around yourself instead of a company.
The best example I can think of is about a financial newsletters. The space is crowded with the same voice: serious, analytical, slightly boring. A clear archetype lets you stand out without changing your expertise. You’re still teaching markets—you’re just doing it with a personality that represent you, creating your own category.
The benefit? Easier content creation (you know exactly how to say things), stronger community (readers attract similar people), and natural differentiation (you’re not just another market newsletter).
What Brand Archetypes Actually Are
I didn’t know this at the time, but brand archetypes come from Carl Jung’s theory. He identified 12 core personality patterns that show up across all human cultures and stories.
These aren’t random marketing categories. They’re universal character patterns hard-wired into the human psyche. The Hero. The Rebel. The Sage. We recognize them instantly because we’ve been seeing them in myths, movies, and stories our entire lives.
Smart brands use these archetypes as a shortcut to trigger specific emotions and desires in their audience.
Nike → Hero
Rolex → Ruler
Apple → Creator
Disney → Magician
But they also work with people:
Banksy → Outlaw
Jim Carrey → Jester
Warren Buffett → Sage
These becomes a framework for authentic, consistent communication. You’re not inventing a fake personality—you’re clarifying what your closest natural archetype is so readers can feel it immediately.
The 12 Brand Archetypes
Here’s the full breakdown. Each archetype triggers different emotions and attracts different readers. As you go through these, pay attention to which ones feel natural to you—not which ones seem ’coolest’ or most successful.
You’ve read through all the archetypes, the feelings and strategies that accompany them.
You’ve probably already spotted one or two that feel right. Maybe you read “Outlaw” and thought, “Yeah, that’s my whole vibe.” Or maybe you’re torn between Sage and Caregiver because you love teaching but also want to protect people from mistakes.
Your personality could fit multiple archetypes. Most people aren’t purely one thing—you might be 70% Hero with 30% Outlaw, or mostly Explorer with some Magician mixed in.
You don’t need to know exactly what you are right now. Think of this as a starting direction, not a permanent identity. The goal is to have a general guideline to position your brand, choose your visuals, and make content decisions faster.
In the next section, I’ll show you exactly how to choose your dominant archetype (and whether you need a supporting one), plus how to test it without overthinking it.
How to Choose the Right Archetype for Your Newsletter
You don’t need a 3-hour soul-searching session for this. Here’s the process:
Look at your core values and mission Why did you start your newsletter in first place? What do you actually care about? If you’re writing about markets because you want to help people avoid Wall Street’s bullshit, you’re probably an Outlaw. If you’re doing it to share knowledge and educate, you’re leaning Sage.
Look at your audience’s deepest desires and fears What keeps them up at night? What are they trying to achieve? Match your archetype to what they need emotionally—not just informationally. A beginner writer needs a Caregiver. An ambitious entrepreneur wants a Hero. etc.
Review your current content tone and reader feedback Go back and read your most popular posts. What do people quote back to you? What gets the most replies? The patterns are already there, you’re just naming them now.
Narrow it down to 2-3 archetypes that feel natural Write them down. Don’t pick what sounds impressive. Pick what feels like you on your best writing days.
Test one for 4-6 weeks Commit to one dominant archetype. Adjust your tone, choose topics through that lens, write subject lines that match the voice. See what happens.
Watch your metrics and get feedback Are open rates climbing? Are people replying more? Do you feel more confident writing? If yes, you found it. If no, adjust.
A few things to remember:
You can have a dominant archetype (70-80%) and a supporting one (20-30%). Sage + Outlaw works. Hero + Caregiver works. You just have to test what fits you best.
Don’t force an archetype that doesn’t match your personality. If you hate being funny, don’t try to be the Jester. If you’re naturally irreverent, don’t force yourself into Ruler mode. Authenticity beats strategy every time.
This isn’t permanent. You can evolve. But pick something and commit for at least a month—clarity comes from testing, not theorizing.
Bottom Line
That Saturday morning in Berlin, I walked out of my friend’s office with the framework companies pay thousands for and now you know it too.
Brand archetypes aren’t some abstract marketing theory. They’re a shortcut to giving your newsletter a personality people actually remember and connect with.
You’ve got the 12 archetypes. Pick one that feels closest to you right now and test it, adjust it, and combine them if needed. Keep it in mind the next time you sit down to write your newsletter. Notice how it changes your tone, your examples, your opening lines. etc.
And if you’ve already done the exercise—if you’ve figured out which archetype fits you best—reply and tell me. I’m curious which ones resonated most with you.
The clarity you’re looking for doesn’t come from overthinking it. It comes from picking something and testing it.
➤ Next week: I read 57 books in 2025, but only one transformed how I think and work. Curious which book is it? Read next week’s issue.
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Do you know companies working with these as well? From your experience.
I resonate with Creator & Magician as what I'm expressing outwardly. Inwardly, I'm also living a lot like a Lover, Sage, Explorer.
Which one(s) do you recognize as yours and use as a lens in your newsletter?